Mathematics Stack Exchange
Mathematics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [soft-question]

For questions whose answers can't be objectively evaluated as correct or incorrect, but which are still relevant to this site. Please be specific about what you are after.

For questions whose answers cannot be objectively evaluated as correct or incorrect, but which are still relevant to mathematics.se.

12079 questions
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Fear of publishing a wrong result

I am a new Phd graduate. During my Phd I mostly worked and found my research problems on my own. I managed to publish some papers with my supervisor, even though he didn'd help much. I think that is not so uncommon. Now, after graduating, I work at…
AskMathQ NoStupid
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Why do they write textbooks as lists of theorems and definitions, with unsolved exercises and proofs left to the reader?

Most of the advanced textbooks (college level textbooks, especially graduate), are written as a list of theorems and definitions, little or none of the exercises have solutions and many proofs and explanations are left to the reader. My question…
user820091
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How to digest new math more quickly?

Do you have any advices, tips and tricks on it? I have a feeling that there is never enough time to read every math book I find interesting, to learn about a new area etc. etc.
ante.ceperic
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Learn techniques from papers as a researcher

I'm an incoming PhD student. I did some research during my undergrad and master. One of the things my advisors told me was to read papers but not too focused on "technical details". This did help me navigate literature faster by just skimming for…
Daniel Li
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Is it true that, nowadays, logic isn't held in high esteem by the mathematical community? if so, why?

A couple of years ago, before I enrolled in my math undergrad. I took out of enjoyment a course on logic. The teacher realized that I liked math, and also logic, to which he said it was strange since logic is nowadays -kind of- looked down by…
Daniel Bonilla Jaramillo
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What does the term "boot strap" mean?

From time to time or when reading a paper I hear the term "bootstrap" or "the bootstraping technique" or similar terminology. I cannot find a concise reference or explanation as to what is this method since when I google it I find all kinds of…
Sak
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Android devices for reading textbooks and writing math by hand?

This thread here about iPad is getting Android -answers that belong to other thread. I am interested in things such as real-time TeXing, LaTeX recognition, writing math by styluses/keyboards, teaching -- anything that can be useful for…
hhh
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Mathematics and musical instruments

I want my daughter, who is 6, to be good at maths (of course what she will want will override this). I have heard that people who play musical instruments tend to be good at maths too. I have enrolled my daughter on a music course, which she…
Sachin Kainth
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Mathematicians who died extraordinary deaths

Évariste Galois, the pioneer of Galois theory, died at the age of twenty from wounds sustained in a duel; the duel was apparently over a woman Galois was interested in. Oswald Teichmüller, a brilliant mathematician who made contributions to complex…
MathematicsStudent1122
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Is there such a thing as backwards sigma?

Is there a math function, similar to sigma, that can run down? For example instead of $\sum\limits_{i=1}^{10}i$ , something that adds from 10 to 1 (like a backwards run)...
Lisa
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Where is the most appropriate place to ask about the contribution of published papers?

I am trying to come to terms with a variety of new fields as I start doing mathematics research. Often I come across a paper and am lost as to what it's contribution (or perhaps significance is). I do not mean that I think it is unimportant, but…
GeorgeWilson
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Is it neccessary to study things earlier?

I got confirmed from a graduate school starting from next year and I will major algebraic geometry. Until now, I have never thought that I study little things than others with my age. However, I heard that some of my colleagues already studied…
Rubertos
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Is everyone intellectually capable of doing higher order maths?

Maths like differential equations, calculus and very much more. At what point does the math one take start to be limited by intellectual capability? How do I know if I am a math person?
aspiring
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Advice: How can one prepare for a maths entrance exam? How can one develop mathematical thinking?

I am Computer science student so pardon me if I am asking this in a wrong place! My inspiration of learning maths is mainly due to algorithms and its feels to me that without mathematics I am not justifying my computer science degree, I am trying…
kashyap
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How do you avoid getting rusty at applied math after univeristy

As a new postdoc working in a bio-math interface discipline, I often wish I had more formal math training than my math minor many years back. Compared to others who came from more of a math/physics/engineering background, I would like to 1) retain…
neither-nor
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